S. Miller, S. Tannenbaum
May 1, 1968
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Biochimica et biophysica acta
Abstract
Abstract The metabolism in vivo of [2- Me - 14 C]2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid was studied in rats. 2,4-Dimethylheptanoic acid was found to be oxidized more slowly than [3- 14 C]propionate; about 60% of the activity of 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid appeared in respiratory CO 2 in 24 h as compared to 80% for propionate. In addition, the oxidation of 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid is not as complete as that of propionate, with approx. 20% of the activity of 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid appearing in the urine. In contrast, 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid was shown to be as effective a precursor of liver glycogen as is propionate in the rat in vivo . Furthermore, the ratio of the specific activity of the precursor was shown to be the same for both 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid and propionate, indicating that 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid and propionate may share a common pathway to glycogen. Finally, 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid was shown to be a poor precursor of long-chain fatty acid in the rat in vivo . The results of this study were interpreted to mean that 2,4-dimethylheptanoic acid is probably metabolized to glycogen through propionate without formation of ketone bodies.